Machinery and method for making box blanks



Dec. 15, 1925- E. came MACHINERY AND METHOD FO R MAKING BOX BLANKS 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 Filed Aug. s,- 1925 Dec.- 15, 1925- ,E. CRAIG MACHINERY AND METHOD FOR MAKING BOX BLANKS F lled Aug. 3, 1935 4 sheets snut 2 Dec. 15, 1925' E. CRAIG LMACHINERY AND METHOD FOR MAKING BOX BLANKS Filed Aug. 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 7 Z 0 JZZzQA/QWQZ Dec. 15,1 25 f 1 ,565,909

E. CRAIG MACHINERY AND METHOD FOR MAKING BOX BLANKS Filed ug. 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Shasta 4 1220072 57 Zea ward Crag 0 Patented Dec. 15, 1925. p

UNITED STATES EDWARD.CRAI( OF ST. J'OSEYH. MlICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T SARANAC AUTOMATIC MACHINE CORPORATION, OF BENTON DELAWABE.

III ARBOR, MICHIGAN, A vICOItPORA'JI'IOIN OB H ACHINEBY AND METHOD FOR MAKING BOX BLANKS.

Application filed August 7 '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD CRAIG, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Joseph, Berrien County, Michi an, have 1nvented a certain new and-use ul Improvement in Machin'er ing Box Blanks, o specification. I a

. This invention relates to the manufacture of wire bound boxes, and more particularly to the manufacture of 'the preliminary blanks from whichthe boxes are made, and more es ecially to the manufacture of blanks of this Eind by machinery.

,Gonerally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and which the following is a arrangement of machinery for making wire bound blanks, and a novel method to be practiced in the manufacture of wire bound box blanks, whereby correct positioning-of the parts of the blankwill be? ensured, with reference to the dimensions'of the ultimate box to be derived therefrom, when the blankis folded into box form, and certain .other advantages gained, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

It is also an object to provide a novel constructibn and arrangement,;a'nd a 'method of making box blanks of this k'ifid, whereby to obviate the use of certain things heretofore considered necessary or desirab e in the manufacture of wire bound box blanks.-- It is also an object to provide certain details [and features of construction, and n'iethod features or "steps, tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of an apparatus and a method of. this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends,"

the invention consists in the matters herein after set forth and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich,-

F'i box lank making machine, principle of the invention.

-Fig,.2 is a, plan of a portion of said machine, showing more particularly the construction and arrangement, and modeof o .eratiomof the work guiding and feeding e ements. I

Fig. 3 is a perspective of one of the work feeding elements,.or combined cleat pushers and sheetspacers. r 4' is a perspective of one ofthe cams and Methods for Mak- 1 isa side elevation of a wire bound embodying thev 3, 1925. Serial No. 47,746.

employed on the feed belt to control other elements.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5'-5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of one of the blanks made on said machine.

,Fig. 7 is a perspective of another form of blank made on said machine.

, Fig. 8 is an enlarged side view of thedelivery end portion of the machine, where the wires are automatically cut to separate the blanks. I Q

Fig. 9 is a view looking down on a portion of the structure of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on line 10-10 in Fig. 9. a

Fig. 11 is a perspective of one of the cams or controlling elements on-the feed chain. As thus illustrated, the invention con1- prises a body frame ,1, of any suitable known or approved form, adapted to support the parallel cleat guides 2-in position longitudinally of the machine, to guide the cleats under the staplers (not shown), located in automatically their usual position between the two sides the body frame, so-

of the upper portion of that the blanks will pass under and be stapled and wired in the required manner.

The endless link belts 3 are mounted on sprockets 4 and 5, of the machine, and these link belts preferablytravel in channel guides 6 which extend parallel with the cleat guides 2, previously mentioned. Any suitable means can be employed for giving these endless -feed belts an intermittent feeding motion, so

thatthe blank materials will remain stationary while the staples are driven, and whereby the blank materials will move forward beween successive staple driving operations, thereby I desired manner.

Fig. 6' shows a d-cleated blank of the kind that may be made on the machine shown and described, the side sections 7, 8, 9 and 10 being separate, the sections 7 and 9. having cleats 11 at each side edge of the blank, so

to drive the staples in the that the first section 7 has 2 cleats, while the section 8 is without cleats, and the section 9 has cleats, but the sectionlG has no cleats. Wires 12 are stapled by the machine to the blank materials, the staples 13 straddling the wires and extendin and into the cleats, whlle the staples 14 of disposed atv opposite ends through the sheets the cleatless sheets are clinched oiithe' under sides of these sheets.

Fig. 7 shows an 8-cleated blank made on the machine shown and described, each of the sheets 15, 16, 17 and 18 having cleats 11,

like those previously shown and described.

In this 8-cleated blank, all of the staples '19 straddle the wires and wtend through the sheets into the cleats. In either form of blank, other wires 20 can be fastened to the blank, if the box is large, to provideaddiuse.

tional wire binding between the ends of the box, to render it strong and serviceable in blocks 21 of the 'ndshown in Fig. 2, having' cleatpushe'r fingers 22 and sheet spacer lugs 23, substantiall as shown. The cleats,

as shown, are of t e tongue groove kind,

having grooves 24 at their front ends, and tongues 25' at their rear ends, so that shoulders 26 are formed at opposite sides of the base of each tongue, in the manner shown. The cleat pusher fingers 22 are' shaped to en a the shoulders 26 on the inner sides 0 t e cleats, as shown, to push them along the guides. The sheet spacers 23 extend upwardly between the edges of the sheets, to space the latter apart, and topush the sheets forward against any drag or back pull of the binding wires, and against any frictioirof any elements of the machine which may frictionally engage the sheets while they are traveling forward. To hold the sheets down in place, to prevent them from being displaced upwardly, sled runner members 27 are provided at opposite sides of the machine. and hinged at 29, thereby to swing upward and upon the sheets to hold them down in place while feeding forward. Friction of the cleats in the guides will tend to retard their forward movement, to keep their shoulders 26 back against the front ends of the cleat pusher fingers 22, and other retarding means, such as springs (not shown) can be employed to engage the cleats to keep them in firm engagement with their pushers. In addition, the staple clinch blocks or clinchers 30 are pivoted on opposite sides of the machine at 31 to bear against. the sides of. thecleats, under spring pressure provided by the s rings 32, to swing inward under any cleat ess sheets, to clinch the staples of such sheets, as will hereinafter more fully ap ear.

Thus, the cleat pushers engage the shou1ders'26 of the cleats, and it will be seen that theseshoulders determine the dimensional characteristics of the box to a shown), when a cleatless section, such more or less extent, when the blanks folded. The tongues 24, in other w might be either longer or shorter, withe changin the dimensions of the box, so it is rezlly the position of the shouldei that determines the distance between two 1 posite sides of thebox, and other dii sional 'characteristics, when the blan folded into box form. Therefore, the ch pushers do not extend in between the ad cent ends of the cleats, but *simply in lateral engagement. with the cleats, at between the opposite ends of each cleat, and at points which determine the dimensions the-box to a lar e extent, in the manner lained. There ore, the cleat pusher-s are incapable of serving asspacers, in any use 4 whatever, and are pushers, pure and sir and have only lateral engagement wit cleats, and while the distance between. cent ends of the cleats might varymoiv less, in the manufacture of blanks for be of the same dimensions, such variation in distance between adjacent .ends of the would not affect the dimensions of ultimate box, or in any way interfere W the proper folding of the prelimirr blanks to produce such boxes. In ct words, the tongued or grooved ends of the cleats could be either longer or shorter, but this would not affect the dimensions of the ultimate box,. as the cleat pushers engage theshoulders- 26 on the inner sides of the cleats, instead of the rear ends of the cleats. Hence, certain kinds of inaccuracy in tho 1 cutting of the cleats is prevented from iniex feringavith the correct dimensions of boxes.

In amachine of this kind, it is desirable to em loy means for automatically controlling tie stapling mechanism, to prevent the driving of staples between'blanks, or be tween sections of the sameblank, and f y: this purpose, among other things, a troller 32 is pivoted at 33 on the frame. I the'machine, and is provided with a. roller 34 for engaging the cam blocks 35, 36, 38, 39 and 40 on one of the endless feed be previously mentioned. These cam blocks, will be seen, are entirel separate from clcat pusher blocks,-so t. atthese cam bio canbe adjusted accurately, in any desirm manner, without disturbing the relative ar rangement of the sheet spacer blocks. Such adjustment can be employed'to satisfactoril, regulate theautomatic control of the stapling mechanism, which control is also necessary, of course, or desirable, to change f1 long to short sta'plesby any suitable knr or approved stapling mechanism that of the blank shown in Fig. 7, p under the stapling mechanism. The cams, therefore, may be shaped and loc in any suitable or desired manner, de'

.hand end .of the machine of the drawin endless feed 0 ains travel in the (lllBCtlOIl ISJMVOtGd on the machine at 42 mg upon the particular control desired over the stapling mechanism. Also, in a inachine' of this kind, it is desirable to automatically cut the wires at 4 points between blanks, to separate the blanks at about the time they leave the left shown in Fig. 1 It is understood that the indicated by the arrows. For this pur-- therefore, a wire cutter controller 41 and is prov' ed with a' roller 43 disposed in position to be engaged b suitable cams carried by the adjacent fee belt, such as the cam. 44-, on the outer sides of the blocks 35 and 40, previously mentioned. i

It will be understood that the wire cutting mechanism (not shown) can be of any suitable known or approved form, and, as

shown, is brought into operation by the release of the member 45 when the controller proper feeding ofthe cleats and s eets under the staplers. For example, to obtain a very tight box, or to obtain a very pronounced tensioning of the wire at the corners of the box, when the blank is folded,

the ends of the tongues 25 could engage the ends of the cleats behind, or could actually extend a distance into the grooves 24, so that the blanks would fold rather stilliy, and produce greater tensioning of the wires. Of course, the rear side of each cleat pusher does not need to be prepared to function in any way, and does not function for any purpose whatever. Only the front side of each cleat pusher, or the side facing, forward, has any function, This is for the reason that the pusher system is employed,

whereby frictional retardation of the cleats is not only sufficient to hold them',back

. against the pushers, but is also suificicnt to stop the forward motion of the cleats, should they become disarranged .in any way, as by the jerky forward motion of the feeding means, until they are overtaken by their respective cleat pu'shers. In other words, any cleat which is not firmly back against its respective cleat pusher will be retarded and held stationary, by the frictional contact'of thejcleats with the guides and clinch blocks and other things, until its'respctive- "cleat pusher catches rip-with the rear end of the cleat. Hence, as stated, the rear sides ofthe cleat pushers are not only not necessary for the initial positionmg of the cleats in the guides, but are not necessary for the prevention of forward dis placement of the cleats-away from the cleat pushers, as we id be necessary if the cleats were fed forward without any frictional cont-act with stationary portions of the n'iachine, or if the cleats were merely carried bodily along in spaced relation and without,

anydriction between the cleats and any portion of the machine.

Of course, it is necessary andessential,

to'the operation of the invention, and to the dimensioning of the ultimate box in the de sired manner, that the cleats all face in the same direction, so that each and every .cleat of the blank has its shoulder or shoulders near its rear end, for unless the cleats are all uniformly positioned in this respect, with their engaging shoulders all near their rear ends, the pro-dimensioning of the ultimate box by the shoulders of the cleats, instead of b not be accomplished What I claim as my invention is: v

1. In apparatus for making wire bound y the ends thereof, will box blanks from separateside sheets and cleats therefor, eaclrcleat having a lateral shoulder on the inner side thereof, disposed a distance forward from the rear end thereof, the combination of guides for the cleats, work feeding instrumentalities having motion in one direction only, and having rigid cleat pushers disposed in position to engage said shoulders, whereby said feeding instrumentalities having lateral engagement with the shoulder on the inner side of each and every cleat of the blank, thereby to push the cleats along said guidcwaysand to prevent any portion of the work feeding means from projecting in between the adjacent ends of the cleats, so that the cleat shoulders will dimension all four sides of the ultimate box, and to prevent vengagement with the extreme. rear end of any cleat, sheet spacers rigid Wltll said pushers on said work feeding instrumentalities in position out of line transversely with said ushers, to space the sheets apart upon and in proper relation to said cleats, anddevices ior operating said instrumentalities to cause said pushers and spacers to move in unison to feed the cleats and sheets forward.

2; A structure as specified in claim 1, said cloat pushers being ofea length andform' to operate upon cleats the said shoulders of which are formed by tongues with which the rear ends of the cleats are provided, so

that each pusher extends only a portion of 3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said ,instru'mentalities comprising link belts having said pushers adjustably mounted thereon, for cleats of difi'erent lengths, and said 5 sheet spacers being disposed with their rear sides in line with the front ends of the cleats, whereby the front side of each cleat pusher is a distance ahead of its associated sheet spacer.

combination with separate blocks spaced apart in pre etermined relation on said work feeding inst-r1unentalitics, adjustable independently of said cleat pushers and sheet spacers, a stapler controller disposed in position to be actuated by one or more'ofsaid blocks, and a binding wire cutter controller controlled by the same block or blocks.

'11 structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with separate blocks on said instrumentalitics, adjustable thereon independently of said cleat pushers' and sheet spacers, and a binding wire cutter controller disposed in position to be automatically actuated by one or more of said blocks.

(5. In a wire bound box blank machine, the

combination of feeding instrumentalities for feeding the materials, comprising sheet 0 spacers adjustable thereon for side sheets of dilierent widths, a plnralityio'z' separate blocks on said instrun'ientalities, adjustable independently of said sheet spacers, in combination with a stapler controller disposed 4. A structure as specified in claim 1, in

in position to be automatically actuated by one or, more of said blocks, and a binding wire cutter cont-roller controlled by the same block or blocks.

T. In a wire bound box blank machine the combination of feeding instrun'ientalities for feeding the materials, comprising sheet spacers adjustable thereon for side sheets of different widths, a plurality of separate blocks on said instrumentalities, adjustable independently of said sheet spacers, in (Oll'lblllfltlOll with a bidding; Wire cutter controller disposed in position to be actuated by one or more of said blocks.

8. The method of making wire bound bur blanks by combining cleats all havlm; lateral shoulders spaced from the rear ends thereof with side sheets, comprising positioning all the cleats with the shoulders thereof all facing in the same direction and in positions which are determined by the positions thecleats are to occupy in the completed box, so that the position of each and every cleat of each head of the completed and ultimate box is gauged by its shoulder during the manufacture of the preliminary blank forming a part thereof, spacing the sheets apart at points in the rear of said shoulders, feeding the cleats and sheets forward in their relative spaced relation, and stapling binding Wire to the cleats and sheets as they are so fed.

EDWARD CRAIG. 

